CUSTODY ARRANGEMENTS

Here are some questions parents should ask themselves when considering joint custody:

Q: How well do you feel you and the other parent can get along?

A: Parents should cooperate with each other. "Support the child’s relationship with both parents," Barbara Nordhaus, assistant clinical professor at the Yale Child Study Center, said Thursday. "Drop-offs and pickups should go smoothly. The better a couple can get along, the easier joint custody will be for the children," said Beth Clark, clinical psychologist and a consultant to the University of Michigan Center for the Family and Child. Leslie de Pietro, coordinator of Family Care Resources at the University of Michigan, agreed. "Children shouldn’t be used a pawns." Parents should meet regularly to discuss the joint custody situation without the children.